Beach House
by lost-in-this-madeup-world
Summary: Clare is sent to stay with her aunt at a beach house for the summer. What happens when she meets a mysterious boy with a dark past?  I suck at writing summaries. Rated T for later chapters.
1. Shipped Off

**A/N: This is my very first fanfic, it's also the first thing I've ever written that isn't an essay for English class. Please review, good or bad! I hope you like it.**

"Look at the ocean from here!" my mother exclaimed. "You don't get a view like that at home."

"Awesome, Mom." I grumbled. "Oh wait, no it isn't. I want to stay at home. I don't see why I have to spend my entire summer at aunt Lucy's."

"Clare, you need to get to know her better, honey. Her and the kids. You haven't seen Ben and Haleigh since you were six years old!" She replied. I was being sent out of Toronto to Cape Cod in Massachusetts for the summer. The idea sickened me. My parents were really just trying to get rid of me for the summer while they went through couple's counseling. I guess it's supposed to stop me from partying, or something else I wouldn't do anyway.

We pulled up in front of Aunt Lucy's cottage a few minutes later. I quickly took in the peeling yellow paint, and the white shutters; some starting to fall off at the hinge. The lawn was poorly kept, with dandelions sprouting in patches, and the grass looking as if it hadn't been mowed in a few weeks. I noticed a volleyball net in the side yard, next to a few worn, plastic lawn chairs.

I grabbed my duffel bag of clothes out of the trunk of the car, and walked across the front lawn to the door. I actually found myself holding my breath as I rang the doorbell; I didn't really know what to expect from this part of my family.

The door was opened by a boy wearing khaki shorts and a black t-shirt. He had long, messy blonde hair, and blue eyes, like most of my family.

"Can I help you?" he asked, clearly having no idea who I was.

"I'm Clare, your cousin." He looked confused. "I'm staying here for the summer."

"Oh really?" He asked. "That's news to me. My mom's in the kitchen." He didn't point us to the kitchen.

I found my way to the kitchen, where Aunt Lucy was sitting and drinking a cup of coffee while she read the paper. She looked up when I walked into the room, and stood up to give me a hug.

"Hi Clare-bear. It's been a while" She said, not freeing me from her embrace.

"It's good to see you too, aunt Lucy." I forced a smile.

"Oh honey, just call me Lucy." She paused. "Why don't you go settle yourself in while I catch up with your mom. You'll be staying in the guest room. Go up the stairs and its the first door on your right." I smiled appreciatively and left the room. I made my way up to the guest room, my room for the next eight weeks. It had pale blue walls and a hardwood floor. The only furniture in the room was a single white dresser, and a full size bed. All that was on the bed was a set of white sheets.

I dropped my bag on the floor next to the dresser and laid back on the bed. I couldn't believe I was really here. Out of Toronto for the summer. It felt weird. There was a very, very large part of me that wanted nothing to do with this trip. I wanted to spend my summer at home with my best friend Alli. We would have taken trips to the lake, gotten lunch at the Dot every day, and I would have spent a lot of time watching Alli shop. But it sounded better than this.

On the other hand, it was probably good for me to get away. I had just gotten out of a terrible relationship with my first boyfriend, KC. It would definitely be good to get away for the summer, and not have to worry about running into him every time I turned a corner.

I rolled off of the bed and looked out the window. There was a great view of the ocean; the house was only two away from the beach. I decided it would be a great time to walk down to the beach. I went into my bag and got out a floral skirt and white v-neck t-shirt to change into. It was too hot down here for the sweats I had driven down in. I quickly changed and then headed downstairs to say goodbye to my mother.

"Don't get into too much trouble this summer Clare." She said, knowing I wouldn't get into any trouble. "Make sure you call me to catch up once in a while. I'm going to miss you!" She wrapped me in a tight hug.

"Just have fun, and be nice to the family." She whispered into my ear. I smiled.

"I love you mom, I'll try to forgive you for getting rid of me." I told her. She hugged me one last time before getting back into the car and setting off on the long ride home.

"Hey, um, Lucy?" I began, "Is it okay if I head down for a walk on the beach?"

"Of course, honey." She said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "You can do whatever you want. There'll always be something in the fridge for meals, I know your mom gave you a lot of spending money, so you can always eat out too. There are a lot of places just down the road. You can feel free to come and go as you want. Just be quiet if you get home too late. The door is pretty much always unlocked, but I'll get you a key in the next few days."

"Thanks Lucy." I replied, forcing a smile. Her complete lack of caring about what I did kind of shocked me. I was surprised my mother was okay with her being in charge of me for the summer. If her rules were what you call being in charge of a person.

I left the house and headed down to the beach. It was the first time in my life that I'd actually been to the ocean. It was kind of crazy looking and seeing how absolutely huge it was. I took my shoes of as I reached the sand and started walking. Every so often there would be a group of teenagers laying out on towels or playing football down by the water. There were also many families, with mothers sitting under umbrellas, and small children building sandcastles.

The beach got progressively less crowded as I neared the jetty, so I was surprised to see someone sitting at the end of it. I started walking on the jetty, struggling to get past a few gaps in rocks. I stopped a few yards away from the figure, sitting down on the rocks, careful not to interrupt them. It was a boy, who looked to be around my age, maybe a little older. He had a mop of a dark hair and was very pale. I immediately noticed that he was wearing black skinny jeans and combat boots with a gray t-shirt, as this was not typical beach attire.

It was a few minutes before he noticed me, but I think he caught me staring at him. He got up and walked over to me.

"What brings you out to this end of the beach?" He asked, his voice deep. He had incredible emerald green eyes.

"Just walking." I replied. He smirked.

"By yourself? Don't you know it's dangerous to wander off alone?"

"Don't you?" I retorted, blushing slightly.

"Touché" He said, shaking his head. "I'm Eli." He stuck out his hand.

"Clare." I told him, shaking his hand.

**A/N: I'm not too happy with the end, but I promise it will get better!**


	2. The Pier

**A/N: I honestly already got stuck on this, because all that was really in my head when I started writing was the beginning, and then basically the end and the climax, with absolutely no idea what to put in the middle. So basically, I'm just going to wing it. What I write is what pops into my head as I sit here, no plan at all. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. I didn't own anything last chapter when I forgot a disclaimer either. **

"So." He said, smirking at me again, "Want to go for a swim?"

"I don't have a bathing suit. I just got here." I told him. He leaned close to my ear and whispered, "Who says you need one?"

I laughed at this suggestion.

"Nice try, Eli." I told him, laughing at the forwardness, "Do I look that easy?" He stared at me for a minute, and I started to get up to leave.

"Oh come on, Clare!" He half whined, and I paused to hear him out. "I was only kidding... kind of." I rolled my eyes at him and made my way back down the jetty. He followed me silently.

"Are you going to follow me all the way home?" I asked him.

"Of course not. That would be creepy." He said. I just looked at him. He was the weirdest person I had met in a very long time, but something about him was holding my interest. A small part of me didn't want to walk away.

"I'll see you around." I said, walking away without waiting for an answer. I heard him mumble behind me, "I guess you will."

When I got back to the house, no one was around, but the door was unlocked. I let myself in and headed up to my room. I dug through my back and pulled out _Haunted _by Chuck Palahniuk, plopping myself in a chair and telling myself I could probably finish the book in day or two with this little going on.

Unfortunately, every few sentences, I found myself distracted. Instead of focusing on the story, I found myself thinking of Eli, the strange boy I had met at the beach. Something was just so strange about him. He seemed so confident and friendly, yet he was sitting alone out on the jetty. I just didn't get it.

I eventually gave up on my book, and decided to head back outside; there was no way I could concentrate on reading, and there wasn't a TV to be found in the house. I put on sneakers before I left, and grabbed some money to get something to eat.

I left the house and found that the temperature had cooled dramatically since I had arrived. There was a cool sea breeze that made the air very comfortable. I walked back toward the beach. The beach had cleared out with the dropping temperature; all you could find now was the scattered couple walking down the beach, hand in hand. I headed in the opposite direction of the jetty, toward the pier.

The pier was like something out of a romantic movie; small pizza places, beachy gift shops, people biking and riding skateboards in all directions. At the end of the pier, workers were setting up for a carnival. There were signs all over the place announcing it to be the following weekend. I watched for a while as the ferris wheel rotated, empty, in front of the sunset.

The smell of fried food on the pier was overwhelming, and I decided that it would be completely necessary to indulge. It was my first night, I could afford to eat something unhealthy to celebrate. I went into a pizza shop and got an order of french fries to go. As I waited for my order to be ready, I gazed out the window at passerby's, amazed by how different people were here than in the city. The environment was so much more relaxed. It felt like time didn't really matter, and that everything had slowed down.

I got my food and headed off the pier back to the beach. As I neared the street my aunt lived on, I sat down in the sand, staring at the ocean. I watched couples walking by, and wanted desperately to call KC, to beg him to admit he'd made a mistake. I knew it would be a bad idea, but this place kind of made you wish you had someone to share it with. Seeing happy couples everywhere didn't exactly help either.

"So I guess you weren't kidding about seeing me around." said a voice behind me. I turned around to see Eli, wearing the same clothes as earlier, shoes in his hand. "You must be stalking me."

"Don't flatter yourself." I retorted. This boy had quite the ego, maybe that's why he was alone, yet again.

"Ouch!" He gasped, feigning hurt feelings, "That hurts, woman!"

"Sorry, didn't mean to bruise your ego." I replied. He smirked at me, again.

"Want to walk?" He asked. I thought about it. It could be dangerous, walking on an empty beach with a stranger. He himself had warned me of this. There was just something about him telling me to go for it.

"Sure."

**A/N: Not completely sure how I feel about that. I wrote it in about 20 minutes, and I was just kind of winging it. Promise future chapters will be longer, and probably poster more quickly. PLEASE REVIEW. And, leave suggestions for what to put in the story...what do you want to see? I'd like to challenge myself to put in other people's ideas, but still lead back to the ending I have in mind. Oh, and if you find spelling/grammar mistakes, tell me, I never proofread. Reviews would be amazing! Thanks :)**


	3. Jumping

**A/N: Hello readers! Thanks so much for all the story alerts, and all your lovely reviews! I know I said I'd update faster, and I tried, but some personal issues came up, and delayed it a little. I really will be faster next time (: This chapter is a little longer and they'll most likely get longer soon. I promise to update soon, I hope you like it! **

**Disclaimer: I still don't own anything. :(**

Eli helped me get up from the sand and we started walking down the beach. I took in the sounds of the crashing waves and crickets chirping. They were so unfamiliar; definitely not things you hear living in the city.

"Where are we going?" I asked him. He shrugged and kept walking.

"Are you from around here?" He asked me suddenly, breaking the silence.

"No." I shook my head, "I'm from Toronto." He tilted his head and looked at me, smirking once again.

"In Canada? And of all the places you could go, you chose to come here?" He questioned me.

"Trust me, it was _not_ a choice." I told him, "I was basically forced to come here by my parents. They want me to stay with my aunt for the summer." He nodded at me, as if he understood. "Except I've been here for about six hours, and my aunt has disappeared, and my cousins didn't even know I was coming apparently. I'm not really sure what to expect out of this summer."

"Why'd they want you to come here?" He asked, seeming genuinely interested.

"I don't know." I lied, shrugging my shoulders. "Wanted me to get to know my family better, or something?" He looked at me like he didn't believe me, but he left it at that.

"I'm from here." He told me, "I never leave. It's really weird in the winter, really empty. It's kind of a tourist area, you know?" I nodded, imagining the houses I'd driven past as abandoned, the pier empty and covered in snow. It was a rather depressing thought. "It gets kind of deserted. Lonely." He stopped walking, and stared out at the ocean, an almost empty look in his eyes.

"But then you get the summer." He said, "And it's a totally different atmosphere. People everywhere. The beach is always crowded, the carnival always opens up on the pier. It's so weird when you're here all year, you see the whole environment change with the seasons, it's kind of insane."

"It sounds it." I said. "This is the first time I've ever been to a beach." He gave me a look of complete shock.

"You have been missing out, Clare." He announced, "The beach is the place to be. There's nothing to do, and yet, everything to do, all at once." He smirked, "You're going to love it here, I can tell."

"And what exactly makes you think you know me enough to determine that?" I asked, stopping in my tracks and putting a hand on my hip. He kept walking a little ways before he stopped and turned around, watching me.

"Is there something that makes you think you won't?" My mind quickly shot to my friends at home having fun without me, and I was about to reply that I didn't want to miss everything at home, but something told me not to. Something told me that I would have fun here this summer.

Eli smirked when I didn't answer him. "No, I didn't think you'd have an answer to that." I stuck my tongue out at him and started to walk again. All of the sudden Eli burst out, "I have an idea!"

"Good for you!" I mock applauded him.

"Don't be mean to me, Clare, or I won't tell you my brilliant idea." He raised his eyebrows. "Now, are you going to come with me, or not?"

"Wait!" I protested, "You're not going to tell me what this idea is?"

"Nope" He said, winking.

I followed Eli off the beach and down a street lined on both sides with cottages. He turned at the end of the road, and led me down another cottage lined street. At the end of this one, we reached what could have been considered a 'main road,' but there were still no cars on it. In the middle of this road was a bridge, going over a wide strip of water. The water was lit by the street lights on the bridge. When we were in the middle of the bridge, you could look off and see where this stream of water connected to the ocean.

"Why are we here?" I asked.

"To go bridge jumping." He said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Excuse me?" I retorted. There was no way in hell that I was going to jump off of a bridge. I was not a fan of heights. Jumping off a bridge? That's how people die.

"It's really simple. You climb over this railing, then you jump," He paused to jump off the ground, as if I didn't know what jumping was, "Then you land in the water, and swim over to those rocks," He pointed to some large rocks that you had to climb to get out of the water, "And come back over here, and do it again!" I rolled my eyes at him.

"Okay, Eli. And what if I don't want to jump off the bridge?" I definitely didn't feel like jumping in the dark.

"Come on, it's fun!" He pouted, trying to convince me.

"You do it if it's so fun!" I told him, "I'll stay here." He narrowed his eyes, challenging me to just do it, to jump into the water.

"You'll do it eventually, you won't be able to resist." He told me, "But I'll wait for you to jump."

"You'll be waiting a long time then." I told him, "I don't like heights. I'm not jumping."

"Don't like heights, huh?" He smirked at me. That smirk was not comforting at all. I shook my head.

"Not at all."

With that, he moved suddenly and swept me off the ground, his arms tightly around me, and held me over the low rail on the bridge. "So, if I throw you in right now, what are you going to do about it?" he half-whispered into my ear.

"Put me down, Eli!" I shrieked. "I'm not kidding! I swear I'm going to kill you!" He laughed and put me back down on solid ground.

Once he did, there was a tiny part of me that wished he hadn't.


	4. A Week

**A/N: Thank you all for the lovely reviews! And here is a longer chapter! Updates really will be faster now, because I got a new laptop, and I no longer have to share a computer with three other people! I actually have a good idea of the direction for the next chapter, so it should be up much faster than this one, probably in a few days. I hope you like this, PLEASE REVIEW.**

Aunt Lucy's car was in front of the house again when I got back, late. I quietly let myself into the dark house, being careful not to wake her, or my cousins, up. I made my way into the kitchen, opening the fridge for light. I grabbed myself a bottle of water and an apple, thinking that I hadn't eaten anything healthy for the entire day.

"Have a good day?" I heard a soft voice behind me. I turned around to find Aunt Lucy standing in the doorway from the kitchen to the dining room, leaning against the doorframe, a glass of wine in hand.

"Yeah." I said, half-whispering. "It's really nice here." She smiled when I said that.

"I'm glad. This really is such a nice town. It's great for people watching." She told me. I thought of the people I had seen on the pier earlier and silently agreed, smiling to myself.

"What are you doing up so late?" I asked, admittedly having no real idea what time it was, having left my cell phone in my room when I had left.

"It's not so late." She told me. I glanced at the microwave clock; 12:17. "Besides, this town is so much nicer at night, when all the tourists go inside. It's really quiet and relaxing."

I nodded my head with her statement. "Well, I'm going to get some sleep. Today was kind of a long day." I told her, "Thanks for having me here."

"Any time, honey." She smiled. I backed out of the room and made my way up the dark stairs to my room. I flicked on the light as I got in and took in the room, my room for the summer, once again. I walked over to the window and looked toward the ocean again. It wasn't very visible in the dark, but after a day here, I could picture it.

I brought myself from the window, and checked my phone. I had four missed calls from Alli, as well as several texts from her. All of the texts asked where I was, was I there yet, what was I doing? I dialed voicemail to check the messages she left me.

"Hey Clare! It's Alli! Are you there yet? How's the house? How's the beach? Call me when you're there!"

"Clare! Where are you? You should definitely be there by now! Call me back!"

"Alright, what's the deal? I need to know what you're up to! Did you already get swept off your feet by some guy? Call me back right away!"

"Okay Clare Diane Edwards. I swear if you don't call me, I will personally drive down to Massachusetts and come find you. And then I'll kill you. You better have a really good excuse for why you haven't called me. Call me as soon as you get this, I don't care if it's three o'clock in the morning!"

I listened to all of Alli's messages and laughed. She had wanted so badly to come to the beach house with me. She figured she could meet some American guy, and have a summer fling before she had to go back to Degrassi to face Drew; the latest guy to screw her over.

I called her back as soon as I was done listening to her messages. She picked up on the second ring. Typical of her to be waiting by the phone; you never knew if it was you she was waiting for a call from, but there was never a doubt that she was waiting for someone to call.

"Clare!" She screeched at me, before I had a chance to speak, "Where have you been all day! You were supposed to call me as soon as you got there!"

"I've been busy." I laughed. "I got here, and went to the beach, and I've pretty much been out all day. I left my phone at the house in my room."

"Fine." She drew out the word. "So please at least tell me that you got swept off to some romantic location by the ultimate surfer guy!"

"Well, first of all," I started to explain, suppressing a giggle at her boy craziness. "This is Massachusetts, not California. Nobody surfs here. The waves aren't even that big. And no. I did not meet some surfer guy." I wasn't technically lying. Eli was definitely not a 'surfer guy.' I thought briefly about mentioning him to her, but some part of me wanted to not mention him yet. I loved Alli to death, but I didn't feel like being harassed all the time about a guy who wasn't even into me.

I had to rethink that right after I said it. Wasn't in to me? I obviously meant that I wasn't into him, right? Well, he was cute, and really nice, and funny…but he was also a loner, and totally not my type.

I told myself that I was only thinking this way because I was exhausted.

"Aw man." Alli sighed, "You need to meet a guy this summer!" She paused, as if in deep thought. "And then rub KC's face in it! Make him realize that he gave up someone in _high demand._" I rolled my eyes.

"If you say so." I sighed, "I'm exhausted, I'm going to bed. Text me another time, okay?"

I hung up my phone and tossed it aside. I changed into shorts and a t-shirt for pajamas, then flicked off the lights before flopping into bed.

* * *

><p>A week passed of sitting on the beach, laying in the sun with my cousins, Nolan and Olivia, barely talking. It seemed we had grown apart since we were kids, and had literally nothing to talk about. Olivia asked several questions about my life in Toronto in condescending tones, to which I would make an effort to answer monosyllabically. She tried to make it sound like she was being friendly, and trying to catch up, but I could tell that she thought it was a hassle to have me here for the summer, and that she just wished I would go home.<p>

I didn't see Eli once. I wandered down to the jetty several times, partly hoping to find him there. He was different, and it intrigued me. I wanted so badly to learn more about him.

A week after my arrival was the Fourth of July weekend. I was kind of excited to spend this weekend in the states, because I had heard that they go all out for their celebrations. I had heard good things about the parties, and it sounded like a lot of fun.

When I went downstairs the morning of the third of July, aunt Lucy was in the kitchen with bags packed, clearly going away.

"Oh, hello there." She greeted me, "I'm going away for a few days to stay with some friends. I trust you and the kids with the house. Like I told them, feel free to have a friend or two over, but nothing too crazy."

"Okay, aunt Lucy." I said, "I guess I'll see you in a few days then."

Later that night, Nolan went out with some friends, saying he'd be back whenever he felt like it. It became apparent soon after he left that Olivia would not be sticking to the rule of 'only a few friends.' She had about 20 pizzas delivered, and she had several friends drop by; some with cases of beer, some with bottles of hard alcohol, one bringing multiple kegs, all promising they'd be back later.

"Throwing a party, huh, Liv?" I asked. She glared at me for half a second, but her face quickly contorted into a sweet smile.

"Yes I am, to celebrate the holiday." She explained, "You're obviously welcome to be here, it'll just be dancing really, nothing too insane."

"Well, I'll be around, so I guess it could be fun." I didn't really want to be a part of her rule breaking, but it seemed like a good way for us to bond, and get along again. I did not want to be spending my entire summer in an awkward silent state.

Olivia seemed genuinely excited for a moment. "Really? We'll have so much fun! Can I pick out something for you to wear?"

"Sure!" I exclaimed, hoping that it was the right move to reconnect, "I didn't bring much other than beach clothes though."

"Oh, don't even worry about it." She said, "You can borrow something from me!"

**A/N: So this was definitely a kind of transition chapter. But it was needed, I promise there will be Eli in the next one, no more filler! Please review! **


	5. Fireworks

**A/N: See, I promised a faster update! A big thank you to all those who reviewed, and all the readers too! Here's a new chapter, I hope you like it! Review, please!**

I found myself at 8:30 that night dressed in a waist high, black sequined skirt with a neon pink v-neck t-shirt and silver wedge heels. Olivia had also insisted on doing my hair and make-up, so my hair was unusually straight, and I had smoky eyes and bright red lipstick.

I definitely was not myself.

"You look _so _good." Olivia insisted. "You'll be a hit at this party. Just have fun and dance. Everyone will love you!" She sounded sincere, so I chose to believe her.

People started arriving around nine o'clock, and before I knew it, the house was full of people. Music was blasting the latest hits; the sound waves vibrated through the house. All of the furniture other than a single couch was pushed out of the living room, and the room had turned into a giant dance floor.

I watched the room full of drunken teenagers from the doorway. They were all dancing and laughing and just having a great time.

I felt a tap on my shoulder and jumped. I turned around to find a guy I had never met before, smiling. He was a bit taller than me, and had short, spiked blonde hair and brown eyes. He was shirtless, wearing just a pair of khaki shorts, and was both toned and very tan.

"So," He started, "I've never seen you around before."

"That's because I've been here for a week." I said, "I'm Olivia's cousin. From Toronto."

"Well, that's pretty interesting." He said, "Can I get you a drink?"

"I don't really…" I trailed off; he had grabbed my hand and was pulling me toward the backyard where there were coolers of drinks. He picked up a wine cooler out of a bucket of ice and handed it to me.

"Thanks." I muttered, half-heartedly. I took a sip and waited for him while he grabbed a beer. He chugged the beer quickly before grabbing another one.

"What's your name?" He asked, beginning to slur his words.

"Clare." I told him. "Who are you?"

"Tyler." He said. We chatted for a little bit. The topics were general, just about sports and my trip, and they grew more simplistic as he downed more beers. Eventually we found ourselves in the office. There were only a four other people in there, crowded around the desk. A tall guy with dark hair high-fived Tyler as we entered the room.

"Want a line?" the guy asked me, motioning toward the desk. I noticed for the first time that the people in this room were doing at the desk: cocaine.

"Um, no thanks." I said. "That's okay." I slowly began backing out of the room. Being around the drinking didn't bother me, but I wasn't going to be around hard drugs like this. "Actually, I need to go grab something. I'll come find you later!" I knew they would never notice if I didn't come back.

I left the office and went upstairs and grabbed my cell phone, before leaving the house and heading toward the beach.

I was genuinely shocked by how crowded I found the beach. Bonfires and smaller campfires dotted the coast in both directions, as far as I could possibly see. There were children running around with sparklers, and adults milling around watching them. There were several groups of teenagers close to the water, some drinking, some standing back and simply watching the fires.

I walked through the mobs of people, admiring the fires, and enjoying the cheerful atmosphere that had taken over. I headed down the beach toward the jetty; as had become a habit of mine whenever I was alone during the past week. When I reached the jetty, I was surprised to see a figure sitting on the rocks, not too far out. My heart started racing at the thought that it could be Eli. After only a day of knowing him, I found it hard to get him off of my mind.

"Eli!" I called out. The figure turned toward me, then got up and came up to the beach.

"Hey, Clare." He said calmly. I felt a rush of emotions as part of me was glad to see him, and part of me was angry that he had disappeared for a week. I decided to push it all aside, and just chat and enjoy the night.

"Where have you been all week?" I asked him, raising an eyebrow. He shot me his signature smirk.

"I've been around." He said, "I should ask where you've been."

"I've been here. On the beach." I told him, "Every day."

"Don't know how I missed you then." He said to me. "Let's make up for lost time?" He smirked at me again, and I just couldn't say no. He went back out onto the jetty, sitting down on a large flat rock and hanging his legs over the edge. I went out, being careful not to sprain an ankle in my heels, and sat down next to him. I immediately began unbuckling the shoes to remove them.

"Why so dressed up, blue eyes?" My heart leapt when he called me this. I didn't know why I was feeling like this over a guy I barely knew.

"Party." I sighed.

"Oh, I bet you're the life of the party, Miss Edwards." He said to me. I laughed out loud.

"Oh, that's for sure." I replied sarcastically. I thought back to running out of the party at the beach house when approached with drugs, and thought back to many a party at home, where I had decided to head home early because I didn't feel like getting involved in drinking games. I, Clare Edwards, was definitely not the life of the party. Deep down, a part of me wished I was. I wanted to let loose, and live a little before I got too old.

"Oh really?" He asked, obviously sensing my sarcasm. Just then, a firework went off nearby, causing me to jump back. Eli put an arm around me, causing my stomach to do somersaults.

"Calm down." He whispered to me, "Haven't you ever seen a firework before?" I playfully smacked him on the arm. The firework was just the first of many, and within a few minutes, there were fireworks shooting off all over the place, as far down the beach as you could see.

"Care to join me for a walk?" Eli asked me, "Or are you too afraid of the fireworks?"

"Ha ha, Eli." I fake pouted. "I'm not afraid of some silly fireworks. Let's walk." I got up and walked off the jetty, my shoes in hand.

We walked, ankle deep in the water, chatting about everything and nothing at the same time. I told him about how I felt out of place with my cousins, that I felt they had grown up and decided that life revolved around having fun and partying, while I had decided to focus on school. I told him how I was only sent to stay with my aunt because my parents were fighting and didn't want me in the house by myself. No matter how heavy the topic was, he managed to make me laugh, and not feel so bad about it.

"So why did you leave the party anyway?" he asked me, seriously.

"Some guy, who was wasted out of his mind, was trying to get me to use cocaine." I said, "Coke isn't really my thing."

"Me neither." He said, "I prefer heroin."

"Wow, Eli. How did I get to meet someone so hilarious?"

"You're just really lucky, I guess."

**A/N: Well there it is, I hope you enjoyed it. Let me know what you liked/didn't like, and what you want to see happen in a review! Please leave reviews, they motivate me to update faster :) Until next time! **


	6. Falling

Hi everyone! Sorry to have disappeared for so long, but everything in my life got super hectic toward the end of summer, plus I've had the worst writers block of my life. I still do, that why this chapter is so short! Everyone please review with what you think, and any ideas for future chapters. Hopefully I'll be motivated to write again. I love you readers!

"Look," Eli said, pointing at a young woman by the water, "That girl, is about to fall into the water. I bet one of her friends told her to go swimming, and she thought about it. But now she's so drunk, that she's going to fall."

"Sounds like she doesn't have much of a choice about the swimming." I said, laughing. Eli and I had been sitting on the ground by a bonfire for an hour or so, just chatting and people watching. Talking to Eli was comfortable. Even though it was cliché, I felt like I had known him for a long time. It truly was like talking to an old friend. A really cute old friend. We watched as the girl did exactly as Eli predicted, and fell into the water, tripping over her own feet. "Good call on that one." He held his hand up for a high five.

I raised my hand, giving him the high five, but as my hand lingered for half a second, he grabbed it, and pulled me to my feet. He shifted his hand, interlocking our fingers, placing his other hand gently at my waist. He started to spin me around; we were dancing. I laughed at the simplicity of the situation. It was pure effortless fun.

"Eli!" I giggled, "There's no music!"

Eli feigned shock. "You think we need music to dance?" I raised my eyebrows as if this were obvious. "Come on, Clare! Use your imagination, when there isn't music, you can dance to pretty much any song you want." With this Eli let go of my waist, twirling me, before returning his hand back to its starting place.

"So what song are we dancing to?" I asked him, blushing.

"That's up to you." He whispered. He looked me in the eyes, and I felt like the world stopped for a moment. I was overwhelmed with the urge to kiss him. I risked a glance at his lips, deep down wishing for them to crash over mine.

"Um." I coughed, "I think I should be getting home. It's kind of late." Eli quickly took a step back from me, and glanced at his watch.

"It's only 1:00." He said, matter-of-factly. I wanted to stay out, but I felt awkward after that moment. What was that? Maybe it was just in my head? All I knew was that after that split second, I would need a whole lot of time to think. Was I developing feelings for Eli? How could I be? I barely knew him. He had just disappeared for a week. I just met him!

A part of me thought it would be best to just get away from him, but there was something nagging at the back of my mind saying I should stay, and I should figure out if I really was developing feelings for this boy I barely knew.

"Oh, really?" I asked, quickly making the decision to give it a chance, "I thought it was way later." Eli looked skeptical of my sudden decision to stay out, but went with it nonetheless.

Things with Eli were a little tense for the rest of the night, but despite that, I still found myself out with him for several more hours. We walked on the beach, watched the continuing fireworks, and talked about our lives.

"So, what kind of things do you like to do at home?" Eli asked me.

"Well, I like to write. I take advanced English classes, and it's my favorite subject, by far." I told him.

"No way!" He said, "I _love_ writing. I want to be an author some day."

"Have you written anything yet?" I asked.

"A few things." He had explained, "And no, you cannot read them."

I stuck my tongue out at him, and he rolled his eyes at me in return. "Fine, but remember that when Eli Goldsworthy is a famous author, I will be sure to tell the world that he was once too embarrassed to share his writing, even with a good friend."

"Wow," He said, drawing out the middle of word, "I see you're not being nice to me anymore Miss Clare." I blushed as he called me out.

"Guess not." I shrugged, still blushing.


	7. Jumping In

**A/N: I'm sorry for making you all wait more than a year. I didn't mean to, I just had no ideas left. Now I've been trying to write, but I have a full time internship that takes up most of my time. And when I'm not working there I need to catch up on the sleep the job doesn't allow and spend what time I can with my friends and boyfriend. I'm done making excuses now. PLEASE let me know what you think of this. and PLEASE leave ideas. Even if they're completely weird, I'll take anything. and most importantly, please review! Feedback is so important to me. **

Eli and I stayed out until the beach started to empty. There were very few people left as we sat, feet in the water, still chatting about everything.

"You know, Edwards, you do have to come swimming with me soon." Eli said to me, "I have yet to see you in this water." I grimaced at the thought of getting more than knee-deep into the icy Atlantic waters.

"I don't think so." I said definitively.

"But you have to!" He whined, plastering on a pout. "You can't come to the beach for the entire summer and not go swimming. It's like sacrilege."

"But the water is so cold! And the waves are huge! That's really not even swimming. It's body surfing, but not by choice." I told him.

"I don't care what you want. You're coming swimming." He said to me, smirking. "Actually, you're coming swimming tomorrow. Meet me at noon time?"

I considered saying no to him, but the idea of spending more time with him somehow made the idea of putting my body in ice water seem worth it. "Okay." I agreed. "Noon."

"Good thing, Miss Edwards." He said to me with another smirk. This summer, I promise you'll actually get to live a little."

I woke up at 11 the next morning, completely exhausted and prepared to run on 5 hours of sleep. The thought of meeting up with Eli had me nervous and excited. I jumped out of bed and padded down the stairs to start the coffeemaker. The house was eerily quiet; there were sleeping teenagers scattered around the living room, both on couches and on the floor. There were empty beer cans and dirty shot glasses scattered all over the counters, and pizza crusts and bottle caps littered the floor.

I tiptoed around the damage and turned on the coffee before making my way back upstairs to get ready. I took a very quick shower, and made an effort to dry my hair into waves rather than curls. I went to my clothes in my room, and pulled out a baby blue bandeau bikini top with matching string bikini bottoms. I had decided that if I had to go swimming, I would look cute while doing it.

I pulled on a pink floral sundress over my bathing suit, and put on sandals to match. I put on minimal makeup, just a bit of cover up and some brown mascara. I headed downstairs to drink a cup of coffee before heading down to the beach.

I made the short walk down to look for Eli, but he was nowhere to be found. It was only then that I realized we had not specified where we would meet. I dug my feet into the sand before deciding that I should head down to the jetty, where he would almost always be.

I walked down the crowded beach slowly, letting my feet sink deep into the sand with each step. I took in the cooling ocean breeze, making it the perfect temperature outside, if not still al little too hot. The waves were crashing and a few ducks were visible, floating near the jetty. When I arrived there, I saw Eli sitting at the end, as always.

"And here I thought you were going to bail." He shouted to me, smirking, as soon as he saw me.

"And let you think I'd wimped out?" I asked, acting offended, "Never." Eli had lifted himself up and was walking down the jetty toward the sand. When greeted me with a one armed hug when he reached the sand.

"So ready to swim?" He asked me, smirking once again. I shot him a skeptical look.

"Maybe not. The water is really cold." I told him. He rolled his eyes at me before turning, taking off at a run, and diving into the water. I thought he was crazy. When he resurfaced, he ran out and wrapped me in a cold, wet hug.

"It's not cold once you're in there." He said to me. Eli then proceeded to scoop me up, run into the water, and drop me into the icy waves.

"Eli!" I screamed, spitting out saltwater and wiping my dripping hair from my eyes. "I'm going to kill you!" I found my footing and ran over to where he was standing, throwing my fists against his chest. Eli laughed at me, grabbing me around the wrists to stop me from hitting him.

It felt like time had stopped as our eyes met and locked. I stared at the deep green color of his eyes, and was overwhelmed once again by the desire to kiss him. He removed one of his hands from my wrist and brushed a curl out of my eyes.

"You're so beautiful when you're mad at me." He whispered, before he leaned in. The kiss was soft and sweet. His lips were gentle against mine and I felt like melting into him. He pulled away and I could feel myself blushing.

"What was that for?" I asked him, trying my hardest not to smile.

"I don't know." He said, "It just felt like a good idea."


	8. Sarcasm and Golfing

**Hey guys, if anyone is still there. Here is my attempt at an update. My schoolwork is way too much during the year, but right now it's summer and I can't even find a part time job, so why not write? I now promise to try to update more than once a year. Really. **

After Eli and I got out of the water and dried off, we decided to play mini-golf. Mini-golf, it seemed, was a staple on the Cape, with a crazy, themed course every mile along the main road.

We settled on a pirate themed course, equipped with a gift shop full of pirate attire and summer snacks. The course was crowded, so playing took a few hours. It was fun to goof off and joke around while playing, taunting each other when we would miss a put. Despite the fun, I felt like the kiss was hanging over our heads. Eli hadn't touched me since we had gotten out of the water, and I didn't want to bring it up.

As we finished our round of golf, I commented on Eli's typical all-black attire. "Aren't you hot wearing all that black?"

"I don't know, you tell me," he replied, smirking at me. I swatted at his arm after his response.

"Ha. Ha." I retorted sarcastically, "Good one. Think of that yourself?"

"Why yes, ma'am," He smirked again, "I did think of that one all by myself." He looked at me, waiting for my comeback. I didn't have one.

"Want to go get ice cream?" I asked him. He looked at me like I was crazy.

"Ah, Miss Edwards. Mini-golf and ice cream. Could you be any more cliche?" He asked me. I suppressed a laugh, not wanting to give him the satisfaction.

"Hey, people do it for a reason." I said, "We were just in the sun for hours, and now it's hot. Why would you not want cold ice cream?"

"Why do you have to be such a smart ass?" He joked, grabbing me around the waist. I froze up, butterflies rushing into my stomach.

"Well, it's just what I do," I replied, trying to sound cool and collected.

**I know this chapter was super short, and not very good. But I thought of some good future ideas while I was writing it, so I can promise an update in the near future! Really. I promise. Now please forgive me for not updating, and show me that you forgive me by reviewing? Please? :) **


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